huanglongbing - Central Florida Ag News

The best defense is a good offense — with The Tree Defender

Article sponsored by Southern Citrus Nurseries, 5600 Lake Trask Road, Dundee, FL 33838 863-439-3694 • www.TreeDefender.com Southern Citrus Nurseries of Dundee develops tree cover for young citrus trees THOMAS “TOMMY” THAYER, JR., AND SCOTT “SCOTTY” THOMPSON, the creators of The Tree Defender, have an analogy they like to share when they talk about their innovative […]

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Sacrifice today for a better tomorrow

THE THOUGHT in the headline, and the timeless wisdom behind it, came to mind a few weeks ago when I first heard about the vote on the matter of reauthorizing the Florida citrus research order. That’s the order that, in a nutshell, established the Lake Alfred-based Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) as the lead

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Recent developments in the fight against greening

THE HARM that the citrus greening (Huanglongbing, or HLB) disease has done to the Florida citrus industry in the past decade is undeniable, but also undeniable is the full-court-press effort to do something about it. That effort breeds not just optimism but confidence that greening is going to be whipped.

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Facing the threat of greening

IT’S RARE TODAY to read an article or column about Florida citrus without seeing a reference to citrus greening (Huanglongbing, or HLB), the tree disease that has seriously compromised citrus production all across the state since it was first found in Florida, near Homestead, in August 2005.

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Commissioner’s AgriCorner: Employing every tool in the toolbox to find a solution for HLB

FLORIDA GROWERS just harvested the smallest orange crop in nearly 50 years, and all because of a tiny insect that spreads an incurable disease. Citrus greening (a.k.a., Huanglongbing or HLB), a bacterial disease spread by the Asian citrus psyllid, is an existential threat to Florida’s signature crop. Trees infected with citrus greening produce fruit that

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Citrus forecast projects slight decline; HLB funding announced

THE GOVERNMENT is intensifying the war on Huanglongbing, or HLB, as the disease tightens its grip on Florida’s citrus industry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projected Feb. 10 that Florida will harvest 103 million boxes of oranges this season, down two percent from last year, the lowest on record.

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Dealing with HLB: Learning lessons from the past

My late grandfather used to tell me, “There’s no future in the past … but “there ARE lessons for the future from the past.” I was reminded of his words after riding citrus groves with St. Cloud growers, who were impressed by the size and health of our reset trees. [emember_protected custom_msg=”Click here and register

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Combatting disease with faith, science, and determination

| Growers dig deep as greening takes its toll | Early fruit drop jarred the citrus industry this season as growers battle the bacterial disease citrus greening, also known as Huanglongbing (HLB). “We were all caught off guard and quite honestly shocked at the devastation,” says Mike Sparks, executive vice president and chief executive officer

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The search for a cure

Leadership is everything. As the feckless 113th Congress failed to pass the 2013 Farm Bill, Florida’s legislature resolved to address the Florida citrus industry’s greatest challenge — the disease of citrus greening, or HLB. During the 2013 session, the Florida Legislature funded $9.5 million from the state budget for citrus greening research and other activities

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Commissioner’s AgriCorner: A race against time

Citrus makes up roughly $9 billion of Florida agriculture’s $100 billion yearly contribution to the economy and provides more than 75,000 jobs to Floridians. For decades, citrus has been synonymous with Florida and served as our state’s most recognized agricultural product. Now, Florida citrus is facing an existential crisis: citrus greening.[emember_protected custom_msg=”Click here and register

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